US Ambassador to India Eric Garcetti informed on Thursday (Sep 28) that the country’s embassy and other consulates had processed a million visa applications this year.
According to an official release from the US Embassy in India, the mission has already surpassed the total number of cases that were processed in 2022. It added that almost 20 per cent more applications were being processed compared to pre-pandemic 2019 levels.
Taking to X (formerly known as Twitter), the US Embassy said it had surpassed its goals for the year but will not stop here.
“We will not stop here and continue our progress in coming months, to give as many Indian applicants the opportunity to travel to the United States.”
Change in strategy
Speaking about the changes implemented to hit such high numbers, Garcetti revealed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Joe Biden had requested to move visas faster. Consequently, more personnel were brought on board and an overhaul of the system was implemented.
“PM Modi & President Biden had said let’s do a better job of moving faster on visas. So, MEA here approved more bodies in places like Hyderabad, more people who can work on visas, we changed our systems, worked harder and smarter and we have processed a million visa applications this year today officially. We just have to continue to prepare for the future.
Garcetti added that the high number of visas reflected the growing people-to-people relationship between India and the USA.
“Our partnership with India is one of the United States’ most important bilateral relationships and in fact one of the most important relationships in the world.,” he said.
The ties between our people are stronger than ever, and we will continue our record-setting volume of visa work in the coming months to give as many Indian applicants as possible the opportunity to travel to the United States and experience the US-India friendship firsthand.”
Notably, earlier this week, the US Embassy said it had issued a record number of 90,000 visas to Indian students this summer alone. Between June and August, one in four student visas worldwide was issued to an Indian.
In 2022, a record-breaking 125,000 US student visas were issued to Indians last year, surpassing any other nationality.